ISLAMABAD, Mar 17 (APP): Federal Minister for Railways, Muhammad Hanif Abbasi on Monday said that the Jaffer Express will resume its operations from Tuesday. The service had been suspended after the railway track was damaged in a recent attack but has now been fully restored.
Speaking to reporters outside the Parliament House, the minister said drone surveillance will be launched for train operations in Balochistan.
He added that CCTV cameras are also being installed at railway stations and other sensitive locations across the country to improve security.
Abbasi shared details of the steps taken after the attack on the Jaffer Express. He said two personnel, one from Pakistan Railways and one from Railway Police were martyred in the incident. Pakistan Railways will provide Rs. 200,000 as financial assistance to each of their families.
Praising the role of Pakistan’s security forces, Abbasi said they carried out a successful operation to rescue the hostages. “Despite the presence of nine suicide bombers in one place, all passengers were safely rescued without any civilian deaths,” he noted.
He confirmed that the railway track had been badly damaged, but railway workers worked tirelessly day and night to repair it.
Referring to the casualties, Abbasi clarified that the passengers who lost their lives were killed by terrorist gunfire before security forces arrived. He said no passenger died during the rescue operation, while 33 attackers were killed.
The minister blamed Pakistan’s enemies for trying to destabilize the country through such terrorist attacks. “The entire nation has seen that we have enemies within our own country,” he said.
Abbasi also raised concerns about how Indian media had prior information about the attack. He accused them of using artificial intelligence tools to spread false propaganda.
He alleged that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), supported by foreign funding, played a role in spreading this misinformation through social media.
Appealing for unity, Hanif Abbasi urged all political parties to join hands in the fight against terrorism.
He said the entire nation is standing behind the armed forces and expressed confidence that Pakistan’s security forces will
defeat terrorism with the people’s support.
He also spoke about the issues faced by retired railway employees regarding their pensions. Abbasi assured that the government is working to resolve these problems soon.
APP/zah-sra